CONFEDERATE SOLDIER OF THE CLONE WARS
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: A chatty B1 battle droid unit muses on what it really means to be a battle droid in the Separatist Droid Army, and how it differs from the Republic clone troops.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_. I'm just having a little fun with the characters, which do not belong to me, either.

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**CONFEDERATE SOLDIER OF THE CLONE WARS**

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I am B1 battle droid unit UM-327, though some of my surviving comrades like to nickname me "Shiny," because my metal frame is shinier than a B1's body normally is. I can tell that almost everybody in the blasted Republic sees my comrades and I as nobody and nothing, because even the Jedi never show a sliver of mercy to us. For that matter, neither do most of our Separatist leaders, though thankfully not all. To them, we're just the frontline grunts who are unloaded from MTTs, unfolded, given a big blaster, and ordered to march headlong into danger with no regard to our own personal safety.

The Separatist Droid Army consists mostly of battle droids, like me. It has many organic troops and militias serving in it, too, but the battle droids dominate the army. Why else would it be called a droid army? So many organic fools think that we droids have no opinion or comment on any of the reasons why the Separatists fight the Republic, and that the only reason we're "chatty" is because of data overloads in our brains. They see us only as annoying, but necessary evils needed to drive the Republic off of Confederate territory whether they like it or not. But I can tell anyone who hears this that just like Republic astromechs and protocol droids have apparent sentience, so do my kind, the "dim witted" battle droids.

In my opinion, it's the clone troopers who fight on the Republic's side that are the real fools, and the real _dangerous_ fools, because while they have their own patriotism, they are fighting for a government that is becoming increasingly tight in its security and fight against corruption, not to mention showing absolutely no mercy to dissidents. However, while I admit it's true that the organic militias that support the CIS are fighting out of love for their people and loved ones, and their safety, we battle droids have a fighting spirit all our own, a spirit that not even he weakened Jedi Order can perceive. The Jedi may be almost impossible for a lot of us to kill, but they don't know as much as they think they do, like what drives my boys and I in war.

Like the organic troops, we fight for a cause that intends to give ordinary people and droids a fresh start after the corruption of the Republic. Sure, like the clones, we have our objectives and our indoctrination drilled into us by our superiors, but the difference is that we have a strength of our own that the clones do not have:

While our army is very industrious, thanks primarily to the Trade Federation, the Techno Union, and Geonosian Industries, so is the clone army, but we have a dash that even the clones, with their camaraderie and all, lack. Because we are artificial life forms who do not have to eat, drink, or sleep, and don't feel fatigue the same way organics do, we can outlast our opponents by a long shot when fighting a battle. We can both outmarch and outfight the enemy. The clone troops and the Jedi Generals eventually get tired, but unless our batteries are very low, we can last a long time without ever breaking a sweat, literally.

I once saw two BX series commando droids standing together, leaning against a metal wall. They had been fighting for a long time together (they were comrades-in-arms), and their metal frames were scored with scratches and dents from hard fighting. One of them had even lost one of his photoreceptors, making one of his eyes blind. And yet, the way they stood, with one hand of a hip and clutching their blasters as if daring anyone to fight them, I knew that they were the proudest droid soldiers of the Confederacy of Independent Systems I had ever seen, and it made me proud, too.

Battle droids also fight like devils. Maybe the clones have more passion than we do, but we'll keep fighting to the bitter end if necessary, even if a battle is evidently lost, and we'll take down as many clones and other soldiers with us as we can. Some people are aware (and even agree) that droids not only are alive, but that we believe there might be a higher being called The Maker, and an afterlife as well. We in the Separatist Droid Army hold on to that belief, because to die in service to ridding the galaxy of the pawns of oppressive dictators and bureaucrats is the most honorable fate a Separatist battle droid can have. Even if a signal shuts us all down, we believe that our mechanical souls go on to a higher place, and that if we're ever reactivated, we'll return to life and continue to fight until we're dead for good.

My own comrades-in-arms and I are heroes just as much as any clone or Jedi can be to the Republic dogs. I have dozens of friends among the ranks of B1 and B2 super battle droids who will never give up until they are dead. I admire many of the commando droids, too, and even the brilliant tactical and super tactical droids, although they can be a little arrogant at times. Many of the aqua droids and manta droid subfighters that died on Mon Calamari were my friends, too, and I know they've gone to a better place, though I still miss them. Droids like CD-501, an enthusiastic crab droid, DSB-41, a dwarf spider droid with an attitude, and ROBB-25551, an octuptarra droid that preferred peace to combat, remarkably enough, became unsung legends in the droid army.

Of course, we can't expect everything in the CIS to be sunshine and roses. That sourpuss, General Grievous, our Supreme Commander, doesn't care about us at all, except as a whole, extraordinary fighting force. He says droids like me are worthless idiots, and useless to the Separatist cause. But Grievous still gives us results, so I, at least, applaud his leadership skills.

Nonetheless, the Force is with the Confederacy, and with my comrades and I, too. Count Dooku, our official leader, says so himself, and I believe him because the Confederacy is fighting for freedom and justice, while the Republic is fighting to reclaim the galaxy and force it's version of democracy on us all. The propagandists of the Republic must admit, they're paid to tell Galactic Republic lies about the enemy's righteousness and our atrocities, never talking about any of the positive things we've done.

But until a day comes when the CIS proves its mission is the right one, battle droids like myself will always be there to protect the citizens of our independent systems, halt the armies of darkness in the Republic, and save the galaxy from itself.

This is what it is to be a Confederate soldier of the Clone Wars, which is what I am.


End file.
